The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science
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- Create Date：2021-07-14 11:31:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Sam Kean
- ISBN：1549102915
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Summary
From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes the gripping， untold history of science's darkest secrets， “a fascinating book [that] deserves a wide audience” （Publishers Weekly， starred review）
Science is a force for good in the world—at least usually。 But sometimes， when obsession gets the better of scientists， they twist a noble pursuit into something sinister。 Under this spell， knowledge isn’t everything， it’s the only thing—no matter the cost。 Bestselling author Sam Kean tells the true story of what happens when unfettered ambition pushes otherwise rational men and women to cross the line in the name of science， trampling ethical boundaries and often committing crimes in the process。
The Icepick Surgeon masterfully guides the reader across two thousand years of history， beginning with Cleopatra’s dark deeds in ancient Egypt。 The book reveals the origins of much of modern science in the transatlantic slave trade of the 1700s， as well as Thomas Edison’s mercenary support of the electric chair and the warped logic of the spies who infiltrated the Manhattan Project。 But the sins of science aren’t all safely buried in the past。 Many of them， Kean reminds us， still affect us today。 We can draw direct lines from the medical abuses of Tuskegee and Nazi Germany to current vaccine hesitancy， and connect icepick lobotomies from the 1950s to the contemporary failings of mental-health care。 Kean even takes us into the future， when advanced computers and genetic engineering could unleash whole new ways to do one another wrong。
Unflinching， and exhilarating to the last page， The Icepick Surgeon fuses the drama of scientific discovery with the illicit thrill of a true-crime tale。 With his trademark wit and precision， Kean shows that， while science has done more good than harm in the world， rogue scientists do exist， and when we sacrifice morals for progress， we often end up with neither。
Science is a force for good in the world—at least usually。 But sometimes， when obsession gets the better of scientists， they twist a noble pursuit into something sinister。 Under this spell， knowledge isn’t everything， it’s the only thing—no matter the cost。 Bestselling author Sam Kean tells the true story of what happens when unfettered ambition pushes otherwise rational men and women to cross the line in the name of science， trampling ethical boundaries and often committing crimes in the process。
The Icepick Surgeon masterfully guides the reader across two thousand years of history， beginning with Cleopatra’s dark deeds in ancient Egypt。 The book reveals the origins of much of modern science in the transatlantic slave trade of the 1700s， as well as Thomas Edison’s mercenary support of the electric chair and the warped logic of the spies who infiltrated the Manhattan Project。 But the sins of science aren’t all safely buried in the past。 Many of them， Kean reminds us， still affect us today。 We can draw direct lines from the medical abuses of Tuskegee and Nazi Germany to current vaccine hesitancy， and connect icepick lobotomies from the 1950s to the contemporary failings of mental-health care。 Kean even takes us into the future， when advanced computers and genetic engineering could unleash whole new ways to do one another wrong。
Unflinching， and exhilarating to the last page， The Icepick Surgeon fuses the drama of scientific discovery with the illicit thrill of a true-crime tale。 With his trademark wit and precision， Kean shows that， while science has done more good than harm in the world， rogue scientists do exist， and when we sacrifice morals for progress， we often end up with neither。
Reviews
Anita Salát
，
"Sinful science" is an apt phrase to describe what this book is about。An absorbing audio book with first-rate narration by Ben Sullivan。 Each chapter of Sam Kean's nonfiction holds enough ammunition for a blockbuster movie， and listening to this audio version is like watching a TV series: you keep telling yourself "Just one more episode， just one more chapter！"You need a strong stomach for some chapters （lobotomy with an ice pick！）， and those sensitive to animal abuse might find certain parts di "Sinful science" is an apt phrase to describe what this book is about。An absorbing audio book with first-rate narration by Ben Sullivan。 Each chapter of Sam Kean's nonfiction holds enough ammunition for a blockbuster movie， and listening to this audio version is like watching a TV series: you keep telling yourself "Just one more episode， just one more chapter！"You need a strong stomach for some chapters （lobotomy with an ice pick！）， and those sensitive to animal abuse might find certain parts disturbing - but these are true stories， with both the genius and cruelty of Humans。 I am grateful for an Advance Reading Copy of this entertaining and informative audio book for NetGalley and Hachette Audio。 。。。more
Katherine Marten
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I want to forgot this book and read it all over again。 It was amazing！ Sam Kean goes into deep details about everything from The Tuskegee study to Nazi experiments to future hypotheticals。 I love how well thought out this book was。 The author is careful to examine the effects of these experiments on the victims and what they went through。 Ethics is a huge concern in the book and I appreciate the conversations and debates that will come from it。This book is a great examination of horrible atrocit I want to forgot this book and read it all over again。 It was amazing！ Sam Kean goes into deep details about everything from The Tuskegee study to Nazi experiments to future hypotheticals。 I love how well thought out this book was。 The author is careful to examine the effects of these experiments on the victims and what they went through。 Ethics is a huge concern in the book and I appreciate the conversations and debates that will come from it。This book is a great examination of horrible atrocities committed in the name of science。 Also great if you're a true crime fan！ 。。。more
Ladybug Lynn
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Rounding up from 1。5 because I am feeling generous。 This would have been an awesome book if not for the constant commercials for his podcast and website。 A book should stand on its own and should not redirect the reader to a podcast for more stories/examples！！！ The author also tries too hard to be conversational and informal/ funny and it just comes across as creepy。 He also shows a lack of care/understanding for mental health issues。
Anna
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I thought this was really interesting and a good reminder that unethical science is bad for a multitude of reasons！ I listened to it on audio and there were some occasions when Kean plugs his own podcast - which is fine？！ - but it was unclear while listening if those were footnotes or in the text itself。 In the text itself that seems weird but maybe there was no other way to express those notes in the audio version。 It just threw off the groove a bit。
Grace
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This was an entertaining， if disturbing read。 Warning: if you're squeamish about bad stuff happening to animals， skip chapter 5 on animal cruelty - that was tough。 This was an entertaining， if disturbing read。 Warning: if you're squeamish about bad stuff happening to animals， skip chapter 5 on animal cruelty - that was tough。 。。。more
thereadingowlvina （Elvina Ulrich）
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Ooh-wee。 What a thrilling and fascinating read！ This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it！ The writing was engaging with interesting topics that is not lacking with well-researched information。 I listened to the audiobook and the narration by Ben Sullivan was great！ The Icepick Surgeon explores medical and scientific breakthroughs and their dark history， and what makes scientists crossed the line in the name of science。 There are about eleven chapters that cover topics like f Ooh-wee。 What a thrilling and fascinating read！ This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it！ The writing was engaging with interesting topics that is not lacking with well-researched information。 I listened to the audiobook and the narration by Ben Sullivan was great！ The Icepick Surgeon explores medical and scientific breakthroughs and their dark history， and what makes scientists crossed the line in the name of science。 There are about eleven chapters that cover topics like fraud， espionage， grave robbing， torture， malpractice， lobotomy and many more。 Some cases which many of us may be familiar are the infamous grave robbers， Hare and Burke， where the term "burking" was born; Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla on Wars on Current - and I personally think Edison was a nasty person - think of animal cruelty and electric chair; Cope and Marsh in the Bone Wars; Annie Dookhan on fraud; Walter Freeman on lobotomy， and many many more。I also liked the topic on future crimes。 What if AI starts murdering people？ Can you commit murders in space since it has zero gravity？If true crime and history are topics you enjoy， then you want to give this a read！ It is gory， fascinating， and informative！TW: Gory and graphic details， ableist language。Pub。 Date: July 13th， 2021***Thank you Hachette Audio， author Sam Kean and NetGalley for this advance listening copy。*** 。。。more
Kelly
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Many thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing me with a copy of this audioARC in exchange for an honest review。 This book details a series of dastardly deeds in the name of science， and some of them are heartbreaking。 In particular， I found the chapters on Tuskegee， lobotomies， and genital surgery quite difficult to listen to so it’s worth checking the contents before you read。 I found it a well researching and interesting book。 The narrator， Ben Sullivan， was very easy to listen to Many thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing me with a copy of this audioARC in exchange for an honest review。 This book details a series of dastardly deeds in the name of science， and some of them are heartbreaking。 In particular， I found the chapters on Tuskegee， lobotomies， and genital surgery quite difficult to listen to so it’s worth checking the contents before you read。 I found it a well researching and interesting book。 The narrator， Ben Sullivan， was very easy to listen to as well。 The constant referrals to podcasts and webpages was intrusive at times but， on the other hand， I can see how hard it can be to direct listening readers（as opposed to eyeball readers） to further resources。 A book for anyone interested in true crime， malpractice， and history。 It’s definitely worth a look！ 。。。more
Atty
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Alright， so some of the chapters are so disgusting and scary！ But also super interesting and insightful！ Almost every single chapter ends with my asking the questions “How was this allowed to happen？” “How did they get away with so much？” But in the same breath， Sam Kean， really enforces the thoughts that ya these people did horrible， terrible things， but we also could be a part of something unethical。 Which honestly is so true， every single day we are learning more and more， and different circu Alright， so some of the chapters are so disgusting and scary！ But also super interesting and insightful！ Almost every single chapter ends with my asking the questions “How was this allowed to happen？” “How did they get away with so much？” But in the same breath， Sam Kean， really enforces the thoughts that ya these people did horrible， terrible things， but we also could be a part of something unethical。 Which honestly is so true， every single day we are learning more and more， and different circumstances require different procedures。 As science and technology changes， we’re getting new insights and through that learn more on what procedures are ethical and what aren’t。 I find the author really tried to push that point and not have us think that everyone that was mentioned were monsters。 Yes， they did， without a doubt take part in many horrible practices， but some of them did have good intentions。 “An evil person lurks inside of all of us and only if we recognize that fact can we hope to tame them。”- Carl YoungBasically， we shouldn’t undermine all scientists- we’re good people and we are trying our bests！ As a scientist I promise， we’re really trying our best to help。 Thank You to Sam Kean and Hachette Audio， for the digital audio ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for a candid review！ 。。。more
Sabrina
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I don't usually go out of my way to pick up non-fiction reads but the blurb got me curious enough to give it a shot。 I was not disappointed。 The stories that unfold seemed stranger than fiction because surely humans are able to control their desires for fame and recognition in the name of science and truth？ As it turns out， that is not the case。 It was interesting to see the psychological gymnastic feats that the persons in this book preformed in order to justify the methods that they used to ac I don't usually go out of my way to pick up non-fiction reads but the blurb got me curious enough to give it a shot。 I was not disappointed。 The stories that unfold seemed stranger than fiction because surely humans are able to control their desires for fame and recognition in the name of science and truth？ As it turns out， that is not the case。 It was interesting to see the psychological gymnastic feats that the persons in this book preformed in order to justify the methods that they used to achieve their results。 However， those results were often manipulated so that it wouldn't contradict the scientist's bias。 Only thing that made the audiobook difficult to digest was the chapters that included graphic animal abuse。 But it wasn't done in order to get a reaction out of the reader but to tell very real actions done by some scientists。 Many thanks to NetGalley for the chance to listen to a very well done audiobook book and good job to those who worked on it。 。。。more
Kyle Erickson
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I enjoyed this book quite a bit， the stories inside were fascinating and gruesome， while also getting into the moral complexity of using research as ill-gotten gains。 The Nazis are the most obvious to come to mind here， but there were lots of shady research experiments done in the past。 The story that stuck out the most to me was the one from Winnipeg regarding the David Reimer case- I live in Winnipeg and I had never heard anything about this。 This story was absolutely horrifying！I did have som I enjoyed this book quite a bit， the stories inside were fascinating and gruesome， while also getting into the moral complexity of using research as ill-gotten gains。 The Nazis are the most obvious to come to mind here， but there were lots of shady research experiments done in the past。 The story that stuck out the most to me was the one from Winnipeg regarding the David Reimer case- I live in Winnipeg and I had never heard anything about this。 This story was absolutely horrifying！I did have some problems with this book， though。 The author did use outdated language a few times; It mostly didn't bother me too much because due to the context， I could tell that Kean was trying to keep the language "as it was"- I believe he used Indian after referring to a group that had Indian in their name and their stated goal was to "kill Indians"。 While it's a term I would normally look down upon an author using today， I felt in the context to switch to "indigenous" would have felt awkward- but a disclaimer after the fact would have been nice， especially since many Americans still use the term colloquially， to help normalize it felt weird。 The second irritating thing he did was to keep promoting his podcast。 Such a weird thing to do。 Maybe it's an audiobook thing only， and in the physical book， they are instead footnotes？ Either way， it was jarring。 I recommend this book， but with some caveats。 It can be pretty heavy， and it's possible the language may put you off it （or the constant podcast-advertising）。 。。。more
Dame Samara
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TLDR: The Road to Hell is Paved in Good Intentions。We've all heard that they used to rob graves so that doctors-in-training could use them as cadavers。 This book covers this and more， stemming all the way into the modern day。This book was interesting overall， but I deeply disliked the constant reference to go see Podcast A or B。 Because it comes in the form of the narrator listing off the URL。 It reminds me of when someone prints off a document that used a hyperlink to link to other resources。 I TLDR: The Road to Hell is Paved in Good Intentions。We've all heard that they used to rob graves so that doctors-in-training could use them as cadavers。 This book covers this and more， stemming all the way into the modern day。This book was interesting overall， but I deeply disliked the constant reference to go see Podcast A or B。 Because it comes in the form of the narrator listing off the URL。 It reminds me of when someone prints off a document that used a hyperlink to link to other resources。 I'm not able to really use this while I'm listening to a book， and can't really find in going back to it。 。。。more
Kaitlain
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This was a great nonfiction book by Sam Kean， my only issue was the podcast plugs。 The Icepick Surgeon discusses the ethical and moral limits of science and gives us informative insight into some of the most flagrant cases of immoral behavior in science。 Kean bases his arguments on the ethical principles that existed at the time， and not the ones we use today and he also does not defend their actions。 Some of the stories can be a bit gruesome， but I loved the scientific history included in this This was a great nonfiction book by Sam Kean， my only issue was the podcast plugs。 The Icepick Surgeon discusses the ethical and moral limits of science and gives us informative insight into some of the most flagrant cases of immoral behavior in science。 Kean bases his arguments on the ethical principles that existed at the time， and not the ones we use today and he also does not defend their actions。 Some of the stories can be a bit gruesome， but I loved the scientific history included in this novel。 Highly recommend。The narrator did well at keeping me entertained and did not make it boring。Thank You NetGalley and publisher for allowing me access to this ARC; This is my voluntary review。 。。。more
Chelsea Bruning
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Here is a collection of anecdotes covering history， science， and ethics with just enough dry humor to make it entertaining。 Most of the stories are appalling and cringeworthy， like a train wreck that you can’t turn away from。 Fans of Mary Roach and Bill Bryson may enjoy this。
Megan
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“No， what makes mad scientists mad isn’t their lack of logic or reason or scientific acumen。 It’s that they do science too well， to the exclusion of their humanity。”In other words， mad scientists don’t look like the men with wild-eyes， untamed hair， and white lab coats that we likely all imagine。 They are regular scientists whose pursuit of knowledge or fame destroyed their humanity。Mad scientists look much more like Thomas Edison and a slew of other scientists and explorers we may know。These st “No， what makes mad scientists mad isn’t their lack of logic or reason or scientific acumen。 It’s that they do science too well， to the exclusion of their humanity。”In other words， mad scientists don’t look like the men with wild-eyes， untamed hair， and white lab coats that we likely all imagine。 They are regular scientists whose pursuit of knowledge or fame destroyed their humanity。Mad scientists look much more like Thomas Edison and a slew of other scientists and explorers we may know。These stories were fascinating， thought-provoking， and well-written。 I got more details on stories I knew and learned about several new ones。I appreciated the critical examination of museums （as someone who studied museums in school） and the hesitancy to call these scientists monsters as it makes it all to easy to shrug them off as anomalies。Unfortunately， with this book being all about ethics， I really had trouble with the language used。 Among other problematic terms， I noted the use of pr*stitute and g*psy。 I don’t believe Kean can claim ignorance as the book was so well-researched， there’s no way he could have missed that these terms are problematic。In less serious issues， I didn’t like that “future crimes” were discussed in the introduction as being a major feature， but they were relegated to the Appendix （which wasn’t even an appendix）。The book also mention Kean’s podcast several times。 While I appreciated the offer of more information， it broke up the flow of the book and really just made it seem like a plug for his podcast。I still felt that this book deserved a high star rating， but the problematic terms are a huge issue; and I hope that Kean will at least fix these in his life and podcast。 。。。more
Lisa Robbins
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This was a really interesting， although sometimes gruesome， collection of stories about people doing shady things in the name of science。 I learned a lot of things about the history of some scientific discoveries。 I will say， the chapter about Tesla and Edison was really hard to listen to at some points。 It was really interesting to learn about their history together as collaborators then opponents， but the things that were done to animals in that process were horrific。 There were several other This was a really interesting， although sometimes gruesome， collection of stories about people doing shady things in the name of science。 I learned a lot of things about the history of some scientific discoveries。 I will say， the chapter about Tesla and Edison was really hard to listen to at some points。 It was really interesting to learn about their history together as collaborators then opponents， but the things that were done to animals in that process were horrific。 There were several other disturbing sections， but that chapter was by far the toughest。 My biggest complaint about this book is that the author regularly pitches his podcast。 I think once at the beginning or the end would have been fine， but it popped up frequently enough to annoy me。 Aside from that I thought it was a really interesting book with a lot of great information。 I'm big into science and a lot of this was information I'd never heard before。 I'm intrigued by this author and plan to check out more of his books。As is probably apparent， I did listen to the audiobook。 I thought the narrator did a great job and I would definitely listen to more of his narration。 。。。more
Tammy Buchli
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Well written， well cited and very enjoyable。 Kean told his stories in a very nuanced way and make the all-to-frequent error of blaming science as a whole for the the bad actions of some scientists （who are， after all， only human。） Highly recommended。Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review。
Ula Tardigrade
，
Sam Kean's popularity is well deserved – his writing is always interesting， he digs deep into the topic and has a disarming sense of humor。 His last book is no exception。 This time he presents stories that are not only， as usual in his case， bizarre but also pretty dark， provoking many questions about limits of scientific freedom and applying ethics in practice。 Some of these tales are pretty well known but enriched with new details， some were revelatory to me – but each one was engrossing。 I al Sam Kean's popularity is well deserved – his writing is always interesting， he digs deep into the topic and has a disarming sense of humor。 His last book is no exception。 This time he presents stories that are not only， as usual in his case， bizarre but also pretty dark， provoking many questions about limits of scientific freedom and applying ethics in practice。 Some of these tales are pretty well known but enriched with new details， some were revelatory to me – but each one was engrossing。 I also have to praise the narrator in the audio version – his performance is immaculate and very engaging。 Despite the difficult topic， a combination of great writing and equally great delivery makes this item a perfect companion for a summer trip。Thanks to the publisher， Hachette Audio， and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook。 。。。more
Ramie
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*DISCLAIMER* I received a free copy of this book for review purposes。 I only accept books I think I’d like because life is too short to waste on bad books。 That said if I don’t like a book， I’ll say so， free or not。 With that out of the way， onto the review:This is an interesting book full of short true stories about scientists / doctors who weren’t such great people overall and who definitely violated some oaths。 Well written。 Great narration。 Hard to say much without spoiling things but I will *DISCLAIMER* I received a free copy of this book for review purposes。 I only accept books I think I’d like because life is too short to waste on bad books。 That said if I don’t like a book， I’ll say so， free or not。 With that out of the way， onto the review:This is an interesting book full of short true stories about scientists / doctors who weren’t such great people overall and who definitely violated some oaths。 Well written。 Great narration。 Hard to say much without spoiling things but I will say some of the included stories involve people you’ve probably heard of， while others were new to me。 If you find history， crimes， science， and / or human behavior interesting， you’ll like this one。 。。。more
J。C。 Davis
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I loved Kean's last book， CEASAR'S LAST BREATH， so I had high hopes going into this collection of anecdotes concerning the dark side of science。 Considering my penchant for true crime and history this book sounds like a perfect fit for me。 While I wasn't quite as in love with The Icepick Surgeon， I did find some of the stories fascinating， and there were quite a few I'd never read about before。 My favorite chapter was actually the appendix with it's theorizing on the potential crimes of the futu I loved Kean's last book， CEASAR'S LAST BREATH， so I had high hopes going into this collection of anecdotes concerning the dark side of science。 Considering my penchant for true crime and history this book sounds like a perfect fit for me。 While I wasn't quite as in love with The Icepick Surgeon， I did find some of the stories fascinating， and there were quite a few I'd never read about before。 My favorite chapter was actually the appendix with it's theorizing on the potential crimes of the future as science advances。 Kean is an engaging writer and I'll definitely be checking out future books as well。 。。。more
Jan
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Conversationally written history of men who did good things in bad ways。 I had not known about half of them and found the whole study fascinating。 Well researched and thought provoking。I do plan to add Sam Kean to my podcast list。Narrator Ben Sullivan was comfortable enough with the material that it seemed like the author was presenting it！I requested and received a temporary digital ARC of this book from Hachette Audio and Little， Brown and Company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review Conversationally written history of men who did good things in bad ways。 I had not known about half of them and found the whole study fascinating。 Well researched and thought provoking。I do plan to add Sam Kean to my podcast list。Narrator Ben Sullivan was comfortable enough with the material that it seemed like the author was presenting it！I requested and received a temporary digital ARC of this book from Hachette Audio and Little， Brown and Company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you！ 。。。more
Angela
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I was so excited to read this book thanks to @libro。fm！ I am a huge fan of Kean and really appreciate his storytelling。 This book was so interesting and I found the concept fascinating。 Frankly I think there could be a very long series about this。 I was a bit disappointed about what seemed to be a lessening of the severity of the crimes described by possibly trying to use a sense of “neutrality” （understanding the time and trying to explain motivations） These were horrible crimes and ethically i I was so excited to read this book thanks to @libro。fm！ I am a huge fan of Kean and really appreciate his storytelling。 This book was so interesting and I found the concept fascinating。 Frankly I think there could be a very long series about this。 I was a bit disappointed about what seemed to be a lessening of the severity of the crimes described by possibly trying to use a sense of “neutrality” （understanding the time and trying to explain motivations） These were horrible crimes and ethically indefensible。 I knew background on several and thought this account was watered down。 Overall though it’s an important concept and well told。 。。。more
Em Meurer
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The Icepick Surgeon: Murder， Fraud， Sabotage， Piracy， and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Scienceby Sam Kean⚡️ I was provided an audio-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review （Out 7/13）TW: This book contains graphic descriptions of physical and psychological tourture， ableist language， and outdated and racist terms， along with the other crimes listed in the book’s subtitle🌟: 3 / 5 📚: An exploration of the most despicable discoveries in medical researc The Icepick Surgeon: Murder， Fraud， Sabotage， Piracy， and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Scienceby Sam Kean⚡️ I was provided an audio-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review （Out 7/13）TW: This book contains graphic descriptions of physical and psychological tourture， ableist language， and outdated and racist terms， along with the other crimes listed in the book’s subtitle🌟: 3 / 5 📚: An exploration of the most despicable discoveries in medical research， told through the doctors and scientists whose ambitions trumped the morals， ethics， and safety of the people that they were hoping to help。💭: At its heart， the message that this book is trying to get across is that the ethics and human cost of research is something that we need to constantly need to evolve， scrutinize， and be conscious of。 Kean uses true crime-style case studies to discuss the crimes that scientists have committed in the name of advancing our understanding of medicine。 It’s extremely engaging storytelling and is written and narrated well， but there are many instances where readers are pulled out of the narrative for Kean to advertise his podcast （it’s on Spotify and Apple Podcasts！ This chapter was episode 22！）。All of this being said， I had a lot of issues with the language chosen to represent these ideas。 For a book that emphasizes learning from the downfalls of the past when it comes to creating a more humane and ethical future in medicine and medical research， the way that it’s spoken about is not as thoughtful when it comes to the word choices that Kean uses。 At first I gave him the benefit of the doubt， maybe he was quoting a contemporary source and the audiobook made it sound like it wasn’t a quote。 However， towards the end of the book， there were some distinctions made about word choices that one sources uses no longer being in use and all uses of them were paraphrased from a published case study on that topic， and that distinction on one word’s use made me genuinely angry about the previous word choices。This paragraph refers to specific and potentially triggering words that the author used （view spoiler）[I made notes on the word choices that stood out to me， but there were many more that I just didn’t have a chance to write down。 Many of the word choices were ableist and honestly just lazily used in place of other adjectives— “schizoid” used in place of “contrasting，” “OCD” in place of “punctual” or “reliable—” words that took me less than 10 seconds to find replacements for on thesaurus。com。 Other words were demeaning， such as referring sex workers who were put into dangerous studies as “hookers，” which further degrades the position that they were put into against their will。 There was also the repeated use of the outdated term “Indian” to refer to indiginous people from North and South America and Mestizo people in Guatemala （it was also used properly to speak to people from India， but was used within the same chapter as the first use， so it caused a lot of confusion）。 （hide spoiler）]As with many books about medical history， I kept having to stop reading and walk away because the content of this book is so awful。 Although it was written well for the content and does a good job of broaching the topic of why we need ethics in medicine to constantly be scrutinized， it was often just a lot to take in （some chapters more than others for sure）。 Unfortunately， the ethical issues that this book raises aren’t all completely over with。 The penultimate case study focuses on the traumatic treatment of intersex， transgender， and queer youth who endure surgeries and therapies， often without consent。 It’s hard to read and heartbreaking to consider， but occasionally felt like these issues were a part of the past like the other stories featured in this book。 It’s very crucial to remember that ethical issues in medicine still exist and will continue to arise as science and our understanding of medicine evolves， and I think that the conclusion and afterword touch on this well; however， the fact that these aren’t addressed until after so many hard-to-read anecdotes troubles me for a couple of reasons。 I wish that these considerations were more top-of-mind while reading and introduced as readers go into this book， and I worry that many readers will stop reading this book ahead of getting to these considerations， purely because of the nature of this book。 。。。more
Jesse
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I love all of Sam Kean's books。 This one is especially interesting due to my involvement in science and medicine。 I love all of Sam Kean's books。 This one is especially interesting due to my involvement in science and medicine。 。。。more
Diane Bateman
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I loved the dark history behind this book it was very interesting to read it had some emotional parts and I think it was well put together 。
Scott Baird （Gunpowder Fiction and Plot）
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A non fiction book about ethics and science。 Some sections of this read like a real life historical Bold and Beautiful， some bits was straight out nightmare pornWhile the book was very interesting and deserves credit and praise， it was a bit basic。 Maybe a bit more research or a scientist who wasn't a Westerner would have been refreshing。 A non fiction book about ethics and science。 Some sections of this read like a real life historical Bold and Beautiful， some bits was straight out nightmare pornWhile the book was very interesting and deserves credit and praise， it was a bit basic。 Maybe a bit more research or a scientist who wasn't a Westerner would have been refreshing。 。。。more
Jess
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DNF at 8% due to racist language。 The only people who should be referred to as Indian are those who are actually of Indian decent。 Just because you're writing about buccaneers doesn't mean you need to write like one。 Far be it for me to expect a researcher to be specific， respectful， and refer to people mentioned in the book by the terms they would use to define themselves。 I read Sam Kean's work years ago and was looking forward to this book。 Clearly， I was not reading carefully enough in the p DNF at 8% due to racist language。 The only people who should be referred to as Indian are those who are actually of Indian decent。 Just because you're writing about buccaneers doesn't mean you need to write like one。 Far be it for me to expect a researcher to be specific， respectful， and refer to people mentioned in the book by the terms they would use to define themselves。 I read Sam Kean's work years ago and was looking forward to this book。 Clearly， I was not reading carefully enough in the past。 I will not make that mistake again。I am grateful for the ARC and truly wish I could have provided a different review。 。。。more
Heidi
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This was great！ I already knew most of the stories， but that says more about my weird tastes than this book， and Kean provided lots of detail。 I always meant to read The Disappearing Spoon， glad I had the chance at this one。
Chantel
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There is a chapter in this book which explores a non-Indigenous person's experiences with a tribe & though the information was pertinent & relevant to the story， the terminology was not。 I understand that when speaking （or writing） about certain programs， documents or ideals which pertained to the time in which segments in books take place， terminology will often be dated。 However， Kean often called Indigenous peoples "Indians" & it was not necessary to do so。 I actually thought he was introduci There is a chapter in this book which explores a non-Indigenous person's experiences with a tribe & though the information was pertinent & relevant to the story， the terminology was not。 I understand that when speaking （or writing） about certain programs， documents or ideals which pertained to the time in which segments in books take place， terminology will often be dated。 However， Kean often called Indigenous peoples "Indians" & it was not necessary to do so。 I actually thought he was introducing a segment regarding India when this chapter explored this part because I couldn't wrap my head around a non-Indigenous person thinking， in 2021， that using the derogatory "Indian" was an okay thing to do。 It's not。 I highlight that when Kean was utilizing direct quotes， document names， programs & legislature of the time， I am acknowledging the time & place in which these were relevant & in keeping the authenticity of those titles， Kean was right to not change them。 However， when continuing on with the text/thought Kean should very much have changed the indicator to one of many which are acceptable today （i。e。 Aboriginal， Indigenous）。 For this reason I was left feeling a bit bizarrely about the entire book。 I cannot speak to personal experience for many of the other themes & segments explored in this book & therefore felt that as I had caught an inappropriate piece in the book， perhaps someone else had noted something else， something which I was not versed on。 I lost my trust in the author。 These points aside， this book was very interesting & an easy audiobook to get through。 Ben Sullivan did an absolutely stellar job at narrating the book & I attribute the flow of the whole story to his ability to capture the entirety of the segments。 Some other people have noted their displeasure that Kean ends segments with links to his podcast & I would have to agree with them。 I would find myself engrossed in the information presented only to have myself jolted out of the story by the encouragement to 'find out more' in an episode of Kean's podcast。 Perhaps had he left a footnote or included these at the end of the book I might not have minded。 All in all， a decent read & I did appreciate the narrative covered。 Thank you to NetGalley， Hachette Audio & Sam Kean for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！#TheIcepickSurgeon #NetGalley 。。。more
Jennifer
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